The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-05-07
Cur 0lio.
A THRILLING ADVENTURE.
Encounter with Monster Serpent on a
Steamboat on an Indian River.

Correspondence Of London Times.
The annual statements put forth by the
Government of India as to the number of
people who fall victims to the poison of
insects and reptiles seem appalling to one
who has never visited that country and
realized for himself the insecurity of human
life against those ever-present foes of hu-
manity. | was for several years employed
in the surveys made of the Brahmapootra
and Ganges rivers, both of which have
several mouths, and l had various adven-
lures in connection with wild-animal and
reptile life. There was never week, aud
sometimes hardly day, that some one of
our party was not put in peril Of his life.
In three months, having five white men
and sixty natives in our party, we lost one
white man, had a second crippled for life,
and buried forty-odd of the natives, every
one of whom was victim of reptile or in
sect-poison. | was personally present when
as many as fifteen of them were snake-bit-
ten, and not one of them lived three hours
after being struck.
Our party was provided with a small
steamer, barge in which the natives
lived, and feet of three open boats. We
were towed from point to point by the
steamer, but there was sometimes a week
in which we did not have steam up. We
not oply took the depth, but sounded out
and marked channels, and took observa-
tions on various points, such as the wear
ing away of the banks, the filling in, re-
suits of freshets, &c. We were on shore
more or less of the time, but danger lurked
aboard the boats and steamer, as well as in
the jungle.
One morning as the survey boats started
out l felt too unwell to accompany them,
and when they had pulled away | went
back to my state-room and lay down. The
craft was light-draught, fat-bottomed
steamer, and when not in use was always
tied-up at the bank. She had been in her
present position four days, and was moored
to the right bank of the Brahmapootra,
about thirty miles from the sea- There
was no human habitation near us, and the
dense jungle extened for miles above and
below, and right to the bank where We
rested. My state-room was on the star
board side, and therefore next to the jun
gle, and, of course, all doors and windows
were open. The engineer of the boat had
taken canoe and anchored 300 feet away
to fish, while all others belonging to the
boat were off on the survey. l should
have excepted the cook, who was, Of
course, native. He was 1.-THE young
fellow, whom we called Jack, and he had
been reared in Calcutta and could speak
English. When l went to bed he was
doing up his breakfast dishes and making
ready for dinner, and | heard him singing
a native song in soft key as he moved
about. l did not fall asleep, but / became
drowsy, and but for an alarm would soon
pass into slumber. The window of my
state-room hung on hings, was at the for
ward end of the room, and was wide open.
Ny bunk was on the left-hand side, look
ing forward, and the right-hand wall was
fitted with hooks for my clothes. 1 lay
with my head to the stern of the boat, and
therefore faced the window, while the open
door of the state-room was at my right
hand, and swung back against my bunk.
l have put in all the details in order
that the reader may fully comprehend what
happened. My eyes were half shut, and
the flies were buzziHg around me in a drea-
ry way, when l felt, rather than heard,
something crawl aboard the boat, and the
next instant shadow darted past the open
window. My eyes flew open, my heart
gave jump, and l was really startled.
Before l could make a satisfactory expla-
nation to myself the shadow returned, and
1 now beheld the wicked head Of large
serpent at the window. The reptile was
looking in, and his head swayed from right
to left as he peered about to satisfy his
curiosity.
The distance from my head to the win
dow was not over nine feet, and of course
I had plain view of him. I realized at
once from the size of the head that the
serpent was a monster, and was certain
that he would attack me. Had | sprung
up he would either have fled or struck me.
Being too startled by his sudden advent to
plan just what to do l did nothing, and
thereby saved my life. l was fully dressed
except my boots, and as had no covering
over me the snake must have seen me, but
after moment became satisfied that he
would not meddle with me if I kept quiet.
I made no effort to suppress my breath
ing. but otherwise l was as quiet as a
corpse.
The serpent was couple of minutes in
deciding to come in, and as soon as his head
touched the floor he began crawling
through the open door into the hallway.
As he slowly passed along l estimated his
length at thirty feet l was lying partly
on my right side and partly on my back,
and could see every inch of him. The end
of his tail had scarcely disappeared over
the threshold when l sprang up and closed
the door, Five seconds later | closed the
window, and was then perfectly safe. The
first thing wanted to do was to raise an
alarm and give the cook chance to escape.
His kitchen was on the deck below, but
doubling if he could hear my shouts, l
made ready to fire one of my pistols Then
came the fear that the cook, fearing some
accident to me, would come rushing up and
fall ready victim. The serpent might
pass through the hall to the port-guards Of
the boat, but the chances were that he